Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: in a power line carrier communication system, dynamically dividing the whole frequency band into a plurality of sub-frequency bands, performing channel quality estimation on each sub-frequency band by using a measurement frame to obtain an actual channel condition of each sub-frequency band, and selecting, on the basis of the actual channel condition of each sub-frequency band, a sub-frequency band with a better quality to send data. A carrier shielding table can also be determined on the basis of the actual channel condition of each sub-carrier. By applying the method described in the present application, in the process of sending and receiving data, frequency band selection is flexible, and the efficiency of data transmission is improved; moreover, by using a carrier shielding table, a sub-carrier with a poor channel quality is not selected to send and receive data, so that power is concentrated on an effective sub-carrier (equivalent to an unshielded sub-carrier), and the communication performance is improved.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on November 30, 2023, with application number 202311641215.7 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Power line communication (PLC) is a technology that uses power lines as a transmission medium to transmit analog or digital signals at high speed via carrier waves. Since power lines are not specifically designed for communication, the characteristics of the power line environment contribute to certain features of PLC communication. These include complex and variable power line noise, constantly changing loads and impedances, and time-varying environmental conditions. Channel transmission characteristics of PLC communication include time-varying channel quality, significant attenuation, and complex interference noise.

[0004] However, current PLC communication technology only supports three main frequency band options. The selected frequency bands cannot reflect the actual channel fading or channel quality. The frequency band selection is not flexible enough, resulting in reduced PLC data transmission efficiency and reduced PLC communication performance.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device. In a PLC communication system, a sub-frequency band with better quality can be selected to send data based on the actual channel conditions of each sub-frequency band, and frequency bands with large interference or fading can be avoided. The frequency band selection is flexible, and the efficiency of PLC data transmission is improved, thereby ensuring PLC communication performance.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a transmitting device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the transmitting device in implementing the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the transmitting device. The method includes: sending a measurement frame to a PCO, a STA, or a CCO, the measurement frame being used to measure channel qualities corresponding to multiple sub-bands included in a first frequency band, each sub-band including at least one subcarrier; receiving channel qualities corresponding to the multiple sub-bands from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO; and sending a data frame to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one of the multiple sub-bands, the channel quality corresponding to the at least one sub-band being greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0008] The communication method provided in the first aspect uses a measurement frame to perform channel quality estimation on each sub-band in a PLC communication system to obtain the actual channel condition of each sub-band. According to the actual channel condition of each sub-band, a sub-band with better quality is selected to send data. This can avoid frequency bands with large interference or fading. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission, thereby ensuring PLC communication performance.

[0009] Exemplarily, the measurement frame may also be called a probe frame.

[0010] Exemplarily, the transmitting end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA. The transmitting end device and the receiving end device are different types of devices.

[0011] Illustratively, the frequency range of the first frequency band may be 0.7 MHz to 12 MHz.

[0012] Exemplarily, each sub-band includes one or more subcarriers, that is, each sub-band corresponds to a subcarrier group, and a subcarrier group includes one or more subcarriers. In other words, the first frequency band can be divided or split into multiple subcarrier groups, and a subcarrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a first carrier masking table based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, the first carrier masking table being used to indicate: unmasked subcarriers and masked subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band; and sending a data frame to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one of the multiple subbands, including: sending the data frame to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on unmasked subcarriers included in the at least one subband according to the first carrier masking table. In this implementation, the first carrier masking table is determined based on the actual channel conditions of each subcarrier. The first carrier masking table can accurately reflect the fading or interference conditions of the channel, and the masking conditions of the subcarriers in the first carrier masking table are relatively accurate. Using the first carrier masking table, subcarriers affected by interference are masked, data is not transmitted on certain subcarriers with poor channel quality (masked subcarriers), and power is concentrated on valid subcarriers (unmasked subcarriers) to transmit data, thereby improving transmission power and communication performance.

[0014] Exemplarily, a carrier mask table can be generated for each subcarrier channel quality measurement. That is, a carrier mask table can be generated each time a measurement frame is sent. In this case, multiple carrier mask tables can be generated, each corresponding to a different identifier, and different carrier mask tables corresponding to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the CCO broadcasting multiple carrier mask tables, where different carrier mask tables correspond to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band during different time periods, and different carrier mask tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier mask tables include the first carrier mask table. In this implementation, other nodes can store these carrier mask tables locally to ensure that these nodes can quickly obtain the carrier mask tables and ensure normal data transmission.

[0016] Optionally, if the STA or PCO determines a carrier mask table based on the channel quality parameters of each subcarrier, the STA or PCO may send the determined multiple carrier mask tables to the CCO, which then notifies other nodes (eg, other STAs and PCO).

[0017] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a receiving device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the receiving device in implementing the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the receiving device. The method includes: receiving a measurement frame from a PCO, a STA, or a CCO; determining, based on the measurement frame, channel qualities corresponding to multiple sub-bands included in a first frequency band, each sub-band including at least one subcarrier; sending the channel qualities corresponding to the multiple sub-bands to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO; and receiving a data frame from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one of the multiple sub-bands, wherein the channel quality corresponding to the at least one sub-band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0018] The communication method provided in the second aspect selects a sub-frequency band with better quality to receive data according to the actual channel conditions of each sub-frequency band in the PLC communication system, thereby avoiding frequency bands with large interference or fading. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission and thus ensures PLC communication performance.

[0019] Exemplarily, the transmitting end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA. The transmitting end device and the receiving end device are different types of devices.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, receiving a data frame from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one sub-band of the multiple sub-bands includes:

[0021] According to the first carrier shielding table, data frames from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO are received on unshielded subcarriers included in at least one sub-frequency band, wherein the first carrier shielding table is determined based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, and the first carrier shielding table is used to indicate: unshielded subcarriers and shielded subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band. In this implementation, the first carrier shielding table can accurately reflect the fading or interference of the channel, and the shielding status of the subcarriers in the first carrier shielding table is relatively accurate. Using the first carrier shielding table, the interfered subcarriers are masked, data is not received on certain subcarriers with poor channel quality (shielded subcarriers), and power is concentrated on receiving data on effective subcarriers (unshielded subcarriers), thereby improving receiving power and communication performance.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes receiving multiple carrier mask tables from the CCO, where different carrier mask tables correspond to channel qualities corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band during different time periods, and different carrier mask tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier mask tables include the first carrier mask table. In this implementation, other nodes may store these carrier mask tables locally to ensure that these nodes can quickly obtain the carrier mask tables and ensure normal data transmission.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, where the frame control field is used to indicate whether a carrier mask table is used and an identifier of the carrier mask table used. In this implementation, the transmitting and receiving devices are guaranteed to use the same carrier mask table, thereby ensuring accurate data reception.

[0024] For example, indication information can be added to the frame control field in the data frame, the frame control field in the data frame can be multiplexed for indication, indication information can be added to other fields of the data frame, other fields of the data frame can be multiplexed for indication, additional fields can be added to the data frame for indication information, or additional signaling can be used to indicate whether the carrier mask table is used and the identifier of the carrier mask table used.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control field, a training field, and a payload field, the training field is used to carry the measurement signal, the payload field is used to carry the sequence, the frequency band corresponding to the training field and the payload field is the same, and the frequency band corresponding to the training field and the payload field is the first frequency band. In this implementation, the frequency band corresponding to the training field and the payload field in the measurement frame is the first frequency band, that is, the full frequency band (for example, 0.7MHz to 12MHz). In this way, it can be ensured that the measurement frame can measure the channel quality corresponding to multiple sub-bands in the first frequency band, thereby improving the measurement efficiency. At the same time, from the beginning of the training field to the end of the payload field, the corresponding frequency band can be extended to 0.7MHz to 12MHz, which expands the signal bandwidth and improves the data throughput that the measurement frame can carry.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band, and the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to different frequency bands than the training field and the payload field in the measurement frame. In this implementation, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same as the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in data frames currently transmitted between nodes (i.e., in an existing network), thereby ensuring backward compatibility of the measurement frame and enabling nodes (e.g., STAs) in an existing network to receive (or correctly understand) the measurement frame, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0027] For example, in the measurement frame, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field may be 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz, 2.5 MHz to 5.7 MHz, or 2.5 MHz to 12 MHz.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the first or second aspect, a data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field. The preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame correspond to the same frequency band, and the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band. The preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band as the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame. In this implementation, the frequency band used by the preamble and the frame control field in the measurement frame and the data frame remains unchanged. This ensures the uniformity of the measurement frame and the data frame. A node (e.g., a STA) that can receive the measurement frame can also receive the data frame, thereby ensuring efficient data frame transmission. This allows nodes (e.g., STAs) in an existing network to receive (or correctly understand) the data frame, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0029] For example, in a measurement frame, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field may be 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz, 2.5 MHz to 5.7 MHz, or 2.5 MHz to 12 MHz. In a data frame, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field may also be 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz, 2.5 MHz to 5.7 MHz, or 2.5 MHz to 12 MHz.

[0030] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a module (for example, a processing module and an interface module) for executing each step in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The device can be a sending end device, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor in the sending end device, or a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the sending end device.

[0031] Exemplarily, the transmitting end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The device may be a transmitting device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor in the transmitting device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the transmitting device.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The device may be a transmitting device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor in the transmitting device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the transmitting device.

[0034] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a module (for example, a processing module and an interface module) for executing each step in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device can be a receiving end device, or a chip, chip system, or processor in the receiving end device.

[0035] Exemplarily, the receiving end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA.

[0036] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device may be a receiving device, or a chip, chip system, or processor in the receiving device.

[0037] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device may be a receiving device, or a chip, chip system, or processor in the receiving device.

[0038] In the ninth aspect, a sending end device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the third aspect, or the sending end device includes the communication device provided in the fourth aspect, or the sending end device includes the communication device provided in the fifth aspect.

[0039] In the tenth aspect, a receiving end device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the sixth aspect, or the receiving end device includes the communication device provided in the seventh aspect, or the receiving end device includes the communication device provided in the eighth aspect.

[0040] In the eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, is used to execute the method in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0041] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed, it is used to execute the method in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] In the thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip executes: the method in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a PLC communication system network structure.

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the definition of three main frequency bands in PLC communication.

[0045] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a carrier mask table.

[0046] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of an example of a communication method provided in this application.

[0047] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an example of a measurement frame structure provided in this application.

[0048] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of subcarrier groups included in an example of a first frequency band provided in the present application.

[0049] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of an example of a communication device provided in this application.

[0050] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of another example of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents or. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this article is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "plurality" means two or more than two.

[0053] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the receiving device and the transmitting device include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as the Linux operating system, the Unix operating system, the Android operating system, the iOS operating system, or the Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be a central coordinator (CCO), a proxy coordinator (PCO), or a station (STA) in a power line carrier communication system, or a functional module in the CCO, PCO, or STA that can call and execute a program.

[0055] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" as used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0056] Power line communication (PLC) is a technology that uses power lines as a transmission medium to transmit analog or digital signals at high speed via carrier waves. Its most significant feature is that it eliminates the need to re-establish network infrastructure; data transmission can be performed wherever there are power lines. PLC technology has a wide range of applications, including smart grids, smart homes, and industrial automation. PLC technology primarily involves modulation, signal transmission, and signal processing. Modulation converts digital signals into analog signals, signal transmission transmits analog signals over power lines, and signal processing includes demodulation, which converts transmitted analog signals back into digital signals.

[0057] Power line carrier communication technology generally utilizes orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, which improves data transmission reliability in harsh environments with multipath and electromagnetic interference. Power lines are not specifically designed for communication, so the characteristics of the power line environment contribute to certain features of PLC communication. These include complex and variable power line noise, constantly changing loads and impedances, and time-varying environmental conditions. Channel transmission characteristics for PLC communication include time-varying channel quality, significant attenuation, and complex interference noise.

[0058] For example, FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a PLC communication system network structure. As shown in FIG1 , the PLC communication system network is a tree-shaped network with CCO as the center and PCO as the relay agent, connecting all STAs in a multi-level associated manner. Among them, CCO is the master node in the communication network, responsible for completing functions such as network control, network maintenance and management, and conducting point-to-point communication with STA (Station). The corresponding device entity is the concentrator local communication unit. PCO relays and forwards data between CCO and STA, or between STA and STA. CCO is a slave node in the PLC communication network, and the corresponding device entity is a communication unit, such as: an electric energy meter carrier module, a type I collector carrier module or a type II collector, etc. Optionally, CCO can also be called a concentrator, and PCO can also be called a repeater.

[0059] For example, as shown in FIG1 , the data transmitted between different nodes in power line carrier communication may include: data related to the user's electricity meter, water meter, and gas meter, home automation, small office, and home office communication (such as the Internet, games, audio, and video) data, etc.

[0060] Currently, power line carrier communications primarily utilize OFDM modulation. Due to the constant variations in power line noise, load, and impedance, the power line transmission channel exhibits time-varying, frequency-selective, and strong interference. Field measurements have found that power line channels experience strong interference and deep fading in certain frequency bands, while others exhibit lower interference and less fading. For example, attenuation is minimal in the 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz band, while attenuation is significant above 3 MHz.

[0061] To ensure communication stability, three main frequency bands are currently defined for PLC communication, as shown in Figure 2: 0.7MHz to 3MHz (0.7MHz-3MHz), 2.5MHz to 5.7MHz (2.5MHz-5.7MHz), and 2.5MHz to 12MHz (2.5MHz-12MHz). When networking, the system operates in one frequency band for a period of time, then manually switches to another frequency band for a period of time. The communication success rate is then compared to determine which frequency band to use. Once a frequency band (e.g., one with a higher communication success rate) is determined, it is used for communication for a fixed period of time.

[0062] However, due to the constant changes in power line noise, load, and impedance in the power line environment, the power line transmission channel is time-varying. The three commonly used frequency bands currently cannot reflect the actual channel fading or interference conditions (for example, within a specific time period). It is possible that the channel quality of a currently used frequency band (one of the three bands mentioned above) is poor, while other frequency bands with better channel quality exist. However, these better channel bands are different from the three bands mentioned above and therefore cannot be used. In other words, available subcarriers or frequency bands cannot be dynamically allocated based on actual channel fading or channel quality. Moreover, the three fixed frequency bands have a large span, which is not flexible enough.

[0063] In summary, since current PLC communication technology only supports three main frequency band options, it cannot select a frequency band with a better channel environment based on actual channel fading or channel quality. The frequency band selection is not flexible enough, resulting in reduced PLC data transmission efficiency and reduced PLC communication performance.

[0064] In addition, during the PLC communication process, when the transmitting device (such as CCO) sends data to the receiving device (such as STA), it can use the carrier masking table (also called the Mask table) to mask some subcarriers and send data on the unmasked subcarriers, thereby concentrating the power on the effective subcarriers (i.e., the unmasked subcarriers) and increasing the transmission power.

[0065] Generally, the carrier shielding table includes the shielding status of each subcarrier included in the full frequency band (the full frequency band is, for example, 0.7MHz to 12MHz). If a subcarrier is shielded, this subcarrier is not used to send data, and data is only sent on the unshielded subcarrier.

[0066] For example, assuming that the carrier shielding table includes the shielding status of 512 subcarriers in the entire frequency band, optionally, the carrier shielding table can be implemented as a sequence of 512 bits in length, such as shown in Figure 3, where each bit represents the shielding status of a subcarrier. For example, a bit value of 0 indicates that the subcarrier corresponding to the bit is in a shielded state, and a bit value of 1 indicates that the subcarrier corresponding to the bit is not shielded. As shown in Figure 3, the subcarrier numbered 80, the subcarrier numbered 125, and the subcarriers numbered 150 to 175 are all in a shielded state, and the other subcarriers are not shielded. After the transmitting device selects a frequency band from the three frequency bands mentioned above, it sends data on the unshielded subcarriers in the selected frequency band according to the shielding status of the subcarriers in the selected frequency band. The transmitting device will also receive data on the unshielded subcarriers according to the carrier shielding table.

[0067] However, the current carrier masking table is determined by regulations to make certain frequency bands unusable. The subcarriers corresponding to these unusable frequency bands are all in a masked state, and the subcarriers corresponding to the remaining frequency bands are all in an unmasked state. The protocol recommends several carrier masking tables, which are only related to the specified (or selected) frequency bands. For example, if the selected frequency band is 0.7MHz to 3MHz, then in the carrier masking table, the bit values ​​corresponding to the subcarriers numbered 32 to 120 (i.e., the subcarriers corresponding to 0.7MHz to 3MHz) are all 1, which means they are all in an unmasked state, and the bit values ​​corresponding to the remaining subcarriers are all 0, which means they are all in a masked state. Moreover, once a carrier masking table is determined to be used during networking, it will not be updated again, that is, this carrier masking table is fixed in use.

[0068] It can be seen that the shielding status of subcarriers in the current carrier shielding table is not determined by the actual channel fading or channel quality. The shielding status of a certain subcarrier may not reflect the actual fading or interference of the channel on the subcarrier. For example, a subcarrier in the carrier shielding table is in a shielded state, but in fact the fading of the channel on this subcarrier is relatively small, and it is a subcarrier that can be used. A subcarrier in the carrier shielding table is in an unshielded state, but in fact the fading of the channel on this subcarrier is relatively large, and it should actually be shielded. It can be seen that the current carrier shielding table cannot reflect the actual channel fading or interference. The shielding status of the subcarriers in the carrier shielding table is inaccurate, resulting in a waste of the transmitting power of the transmitting device and the receiving power of the receiving device, which reduces the PLC communication performance.

[0069] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and communication device for use in a PLC communication system, which dynamically divides the entire frequency band into multiple sub-bands, each of which includes or corresponds to at least one subcarrier, or in other words, each sub-band corresponds to a subcarrier group. A measurement frame is used to perform channel quality estimation on each sub-band to obtain the actual channel condition of each sub-band. Based on the actual channel condition of each sub-band, a sub-band with better quality is selected for data transmission. This can avoid frequency bands with significant interference or fading, provide flexible frequency band selection, improve the efficiency of PLC data transmission, and thus ensure PLC communication performance.

[0070] It should be understood that the method provided in this application can be applied in a PLC communication system, for example, the PLC communication system shown in FIG1 .

[0071] It should also be understood that the communication scenario (communication system) shown in Figure 1 is merely exemplary and should not impose any limitations on the communication scenarios applicable to the embodiments of this application. For example, the communication system shown in Figure 1 may also include more or smaller network nodes, such as PCOs, STAs, etc. It is understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to any PLC communication scenario.

[0072] The following describes the communication method provided by this application with reference to specific examples.

[0073] For ease of explanation, in the following examples, the transmitting end device is taken as CCO and the receiving end device is taken as STA.

[0074] However, it should be understood that in other implementations of the present application, the transmitting device may be a CCO and the receiving device may be a PCO; alternatively, the transmitting device may be a PCO and the receiving device may be an STA; alternatively, the transmitting device may be a PCO and the receiving device may be a CCO; alternatively, the transmitting device may be an STA and the receiving device may be a PCO; alternatively, the transmitting device may be an STA and the receiving device may be a CCO. In other words, the transmitting device and the receiving device can be of different types, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0075] It should also be understood that the following description of the method uses the CCO and STA as examples of the execution entities of the method. As an example and not a limitation, the CCO or STA in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the CCO or STA to implement the method, or may also be a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the CCO or STA functions.

[0076] The method provided in the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method of an embodiment of the present application. This method 400 can be applied to the scenario or communication architecture shown in Figure 1, and of course can also be applied to other PLC communication scenarios or communication architectures. The embodiment of the present application is not limited here.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 4 , the method 400 shown in Fig. 4 may include S410 to S440. Each step in the method 400 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 4 .

[0078] S410: The CCO sends a measurement frame to the STA. The measurement frame is used to measure channel qualities corresponding to multiple sub-bands included in a first frequency band, where each sub-band includes at least one subcarrier.

[0079] Correspondingly, the STA receives the measurement frame.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, in a PLC communication system, the power line transmission channel is time-varying due to the constant changes in power line noise, load, and impedance in the power line environment. In other words, the channel quality of the power line transmission channel between the CCO and the STA is time-varying, and the channel quality varies significantly in different time periods. Therefore, before the CCO sends data to the STA, the CCO can send a measurement frame to the STA. The measurement frame is used to measure the channel quality of the power line transmission between the CCO and the STA.

[0081] Exemplarily, the data sent by the CCO to the STA may include: data related to the user's electricity meter, water meter, and gas meter, or data that the user needs to transmit to another user (such as audio, video, files, etc.).

[0082] Optionally, in method 400, the frequency band used for PLC communication between the CCO and the STA may be a first frequency band. Exemplarily, the first frequency band may be a full frequency band. For example, the frequency range of the first frequency band may be 0.7 MHz to 12 MHz. Of course, in other implementations of the present application, the frequency range of the first frequency band may be larger or smaller, and this embodiment of the present application is not limiting.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present application, the first frequency band may be divided or split into a plurality of sub-frequency bands. Optionally, the frequency ranges of different sub-frequency bands may not overlap. For example, 0.7 MHz to 12 MHz may be divided into 10 or 20 sub-frequency bands. Of course, in other implementations of the present application, the first frequency band may be divided or split into even more sub-frequency bands. This embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0084] Each sub-band includes one or more subcarriers, that is, each sub-band corresponds to a subcarrier group, and a subcarrier group includes one or more subcarriers. In other words, the first frequency band can be divided or split into multiple subcarrier groups, and a subcarrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

[0085] In S410, the measurement frame is used to measure the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band (i.e., each subcarrier group). By dividing the full frequency band into sub-band granularity and measuring the channel quality at the sub-band granularity (i.e., the subcarrier group granularity), the channel quality granularity is refined, improving the accuracy and precision of the channel quality.

[0086] Optionally, the measurement frame can also be called a probe frame. Of course, in other implementations of the present application, the measurement frame can also be called other names, such as a training frame, etc., as long as the frame can be used to measure the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band (i.e., each subcarrier group).

[0087] In some possible implementations, the CCO may also notify the STA of the frequency range corresponding to each sub-band (each subcarrier group), so that the STA can know the frequency range corresponding to each sub-band or the number of subcarriers included in each subcarrier group, etc., so that the STA can determine the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band based on the measurement frame.

[0088] S420: The STA determines, according to the measurement frame, channel qualities corresponding to the multiple sub-frequency bands included in the first frequency band.

[0089] As a possible implementation, FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of an example measurement frame structure. As shown in FIG5 , the measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control (FC) field, a training field, and a payload field. The training field is used to carry a measurement signal, for example, a measurement signal may include a training symbol or a reference signal. The payload (PL) field is used to carry a sequence. For example, the sequence carried by the PL field may be a pseudo-random sequence, such as a PN sequence. Of course, the PL field may also carry other sequences.

[0090] Optionally, as shown in FIG5 , the training field can carry multiple training symbols or multiple reference signals, such as training symbol 1, training symbol 2, ... training symbol m in FIG5 . The PL field can also carry multiple PLs, such as PL1, PL2, ... PL in FIG5 N .

[0091] In an embodiment of the present application, the frequency bands corresponding to (or used by) the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same. For example, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field are both 0.7MHz to 3MHz, 2.5MHz to 5.7MHz, or 2.5MHz to 12MHz. It is understandable that the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame can also be other frequency bands, as long as the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same as the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame currently transmitted (i.e., in the existing network). For example, assuming that the existing network is PLC version 1.0, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same as or consistent with the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame in the PLC version 1.0. Through such a solution, the backward compatibility of the measurement frame is guaranteed, and the nodes (such as STAs) in the existing network can also receive (or correctly understand) the measurement frame, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0092] In an embodiment of the present application, the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field in the measurement frame are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field are both the first frequency band, that is, the full frequency band (for example, 0.7MHz to 12MHz). In this way, it can be ensured that the measurement frame can measure the channel qualities corresponding to multiple sub-bands in the first frequency band, thereby improving the measurement efficiency. At the same time, from the beginning of the training field to the end of the payload field, the corresponding frequency band can be extended to 0.7MHz to 12MHz, which expands the signal bandwidth and improves the data throughput that the measurement frame can carry.

[0093] For example, in a measurement frame, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and frame control field may be 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz, 2.5 MHz to 5.7 MHz, or 2.5 MHz to 12 MHz. The frequency bands corresponding to the training field and payload field in the measurement frame may be 0.7 MHz to 12 MHz. In other words, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and frame control field in the measurement frame are different from the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and payload field in the measurement frame.

[0094] Optionally, the channel quality may include parameters such as reference signal receiving power (RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), block error rate (BLER), and channel quality indicator (CQI). In the embodiments of the present application, there is no restriction on the type of parameters used to characterize the channel quality.

[0095] For example, assuming that the channel quality is SNR, after receiving the measurement frame, the STA uses the training field to perform channel estimation and equalization. The payload field of the measurement frame carries the PN sequence, which is divided into PL1 to PL N These N parts (or they can also be called N subfields, N PL symbols), each part (or each subfield) corresponds to the first frequency band (full frequency band). When the STA receives the first PL (PL1), each subcarrier in the first frequency band uses the equalized value to subtract the transmitted PN sequence (known) to obtain the noise power value. When equalizing, the signal power is a fixed value. The signal power is divided by the noise power to obtain the SNR of each subcarrier. The subsequent PL parts are the same, and the SNR values ​​of the same subcarriers in each PL part are accumulated. When the last PL (PL N ), the accumulated value is divided by the total number of PLs N to obtain the SNR value of each subcarrier in the first frequency band.

[0096] Furthermore, the STA can accumulate and divide the total number of subcarriers included in each subband according to the number of the starting subcarrier and the number of the ending subcarrier of each subband (or each subcarrier group) to obtain the SNR value of each subband.

[0097] In this way, the STA can obtain the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band and the channel quality corresponding to each sub-carrier.

[0098] S430: The STA sends the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band to the CCO.

[0099] Of course, in S430, the STA may also send the channel quality (ie, channel quality parameter) corresponding to each subcarrier in the first frequency band to the CCO.

[0100] Accordingly, the CCO receives the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band. Optionally, the CCO may also receive the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier in the first frequency band.

[0101] S440: The CCO sends a data frame to the STA on at least one of the multiple sub-bands according to the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band, where the channel quality corresponding to the at least one sub-band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0102] Accordingly, the STA receives the data frame on at least one sub-band among the multiple sub-bands.

[0103] Optionally, a threshold may be preset, and the CCO may send a data frame to the STA on at least one sub-frequency band where the channel quality is greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0104] As a possible implementation method, after the CCO determines at least one sub-frequency band to be used, it can also notify the STA of the information of the at least one sub-frequency band (for example, including: the frequency and identifier corresponding to the at least one sub-frequency band, etc.) through signaling, so that the STA can correctly receive the data sent by the CCO on the at least one sub-frequency band.

[0105] For example, as shown in Figure 6, assume that the first frequency band is divided into seven sub-frequency bands, that is, seven subcarrier groups, namely subcarrier group 1 to subcarrier group 7. Among them, if the channel quality of subcarrier group 2 to subcarrier group 5 does not meet the condition, for example, is less than a threshold, then the CCO can send data frames to the STA on subcarrier group 1, subcarrier group 6, and subcarrier group 7.

[0106] The communication method provided by the present application dynamically divides the entire frequency band into multiple sub-bands in a PLC communication system, and uses measurement frames to estimate the channel quality of each sub-band separately to obtain the actual channel conditions of each sub-band. The CCO selects a sub-band with better quality to send data based on the actual channel conditions of each sub-band, thereby avoiding frequency bands with large interference or fading. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission, thereby ensuring PLC communication performance.

[0107] It should be understood that in S440, the data frame also includes a preamble field and a frame control field, and the preamble field and frame control field in the data frame correspond to the same frequency band. The frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and frame control field included in the measurement frame is the same as the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and frame control field included in the data frame. In other words, the frequency band used by the preamble and FC fields in the measurement frame and the data frame remains unchanged. This ensures the uniformity of the measurement frame and the data frame, and nodes that can receive the measurement frame (for example, STA) can also receive the data frame, ensuring the efficiency of data frame transmission. This allows nodes in the existing network (for example, STA) to also receive (or correctly understand) the data frame, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0108] For example, assuming that the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble code field and the FC field in the measurement frame are both 0.7MHz to 3MHz, then in S440, the frequency bands used by the preamble and FC fields in the data frame are also 0.7MHz to 3MHz. assuming that the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field in the measurement frame are both 2.5MHz to 5.7MHz, then in S440, the frequency bands used by the preamble and FC fields in the data frame are also 2.5MHz to 5.7MHz. assuming that the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field in the measurement frame are both 2.5MHz to 12MHz, then in S440, the frequency bands used by the preamble and FC fields in the data frame are also 2.5MHz to 12MHz.

[0109] It should also be understood that the above-mentioned method 400 can be executed multiple times, for example, once every period of time (for example, every half a day, every day, etc.). Each time the method 400 is executed, the number of sub-bands into which the first frequency band is divided or the number of subcarrier groups can be different. For example, when the measurement frame is sent for the first time, the first frequency band is divided into 10 sub-bands or 10 subcarrier groups, and when the measurement frame is sent for the second time, the first frequency band can be divided into 20 sub-bands or 20 subcarrier groups. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, the entire frequency band is dynamically divided into multiple sub-bands or multiple subcarrier groups, and channel quality estimation is performed separately. The channel quality can accurately reflect the actual channel fading or channel quality, so that the frequency band with better channel quality is selected for communication, which can avoid large fading and interference and effectively improve communication performance.

[0110] Optionally, in some possible implementations, in method 400, after the CCO receives the channel quality parameters of each subcarrier in the first frequency band, it can also determine the first carrier masking table corresponding to the first frequency band based on the channel quality parameters of each subcarrier. It should be understood that the first carrier masking table is determined based on the channel quality parameters of each subcarrier in the first frequency band in one measurement. In other words, the first carrier masking table is determined based on the actual channel conditions of each subcarrier. The first carrier masking table can accurately reflect the fading or interference conditions of the channel, and the masking conditions of the subcarriers in the first carrier masking table are relatively accurate. Therefore, in S440, the CCO can use the first carrier masking table to send data frames to the STA on at least one subcarrier among the multiple subcarriers based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier.

[0111] For example, assuming that the first frequency band is divided into 7 sub-bands, i.e., 7 subcarrier groups, the CCO can send data frames to the STA on subcarrier group 1, subcarrier group 6, and subcarrier group 7. After the CCO determines the first carrier mask table, since the first carrier mask corresponds to the entire frequency band (the first frequency band), the CCO first determines the subcarrier numbers corresponding to or included in subcarrier group 1 (sub-band 1), subcarrier group 6 (sub-band 6), and subcarrier group 7 (sub-band 7), respectively. For example, assuming that the first frequency band includes a total of 512 subcarriers, the subcarrier numbers (or subcarrier identifiers) corresponding to subcarrier group 1 (sub-band 1) are 1 to 40, the subcarrier numbers corresponding to subcarrier group 6 (sub-band 6) are 412 to 470, and the subcarrier numbers corresponding to subcarrier group 7 (sub-band 7) are 471 to 512. Since the first carrier masking table can be implemented as a 512-bit sequence, with each bit representing the masking status of a subcarrier, the CCO only needs to determine the values ​​of bits 1 to 40, bits 412 to 470, and bits 471 to 512 to determine which subcarriers to use. For example, if a bit has a value of 1, indicating that the corresponding subcarrier is in an unmasked state (i.e., not masked), data can be sent on this subcarrier. If a bit has a value of 0, indicating that the corresponding subcarrier is masked, data cannot be sent on this subcarrier. In this way, the first carrier masking table is used to mask out interfered subcarriers, prevent data from being sent on certain subcarriers with poor channel quality (masked subcarriers), and concentrate power on valid subcarriers (unmasked subcarriers) to send data, thereby improving transmission power and communication performance.

[0112] Optionally, for the data frame sent by CCO, the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame do not use the first carrier masking table, and only the load field in the data frame uses the first carrier masking table. Exemplarily, the frequency band corresponding to the load field in the data frame can be the first frequency band, that is, the full frequency band (for example, 0.7MHz to 12MHz). Of course, the frequency band corresponding to the load field in the data frame can also be other frequency bands, for example, one or several frequency bands with better quality can be determined based on the channel quality corresponding to each sub-band, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, there is no restriction on the frequency band used by the load field in the data frame.

[0113] Correspondingly, for the receiving device STA, the first carrier shielding table is also required to receive data. For example, STA only needs to receive data on the unshielded subcarriers and not on the shielded subcarriers, so as to avoid interference from low channel quality subcarriers, reduce the number of diversity copies, and improve receiving efficiency and performance.

[0114] It is understood that in the embodiment of the present application, since method 400 can be executed multiple times, the CCO can generate a carrier mask table for each subcarrier channel quality measurement. In other words, each time method 400 is executed and each measurement frame is sent, the CCO can generate a carrier mask table. In this case, the CCO can generate multiple carrier mask tables, each carrier mask table corresponding to a different identifier, and different carrier mask tables corresponding to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods.

[0115] Alternatively, as a possible implementation, the CCO can broadcast these carrier mask tables to all nodes (including PCOs and STAs) via broadcasting. These nodes, such as PCOs and STAs, can then store these carrier mask tables locally, ensuring that these nodes can quickly obtain the carrier mask tables and guaranteeing normal data transmission.

[0116] Optionally, as a possible implementation method, when the CCO sends data to the STA, indication information can be added to the frame control field in the data frame, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a carrier mask table is used and the identifier of the carrier mask table used.

[0117] For example, in conjunction with the example in method 400, in S440, the frame control field in the data frame includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate: use of the carrier mask table and the identifier of the first carrier mask table. In this way, after receiving the data frame, the STA can determine which carrier mask table needs to be used, ensuring that the transmitting device and the receiving device use the same carrier mask table, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data reception. Of course, the frame control field in the data frame can also be reused, that is, the frame control field in the data frame can be used to indicate: use of the carrier mask table and the identifier of the first carrier mask table, so that there is no need to add indication information to the frame control field in the data frame.

[0118] Of course, in other implementations of the present application, the CCO may notify the STA whether to use the carrier mask table and the identifier of the carrier mask table to be used in other ways. For example, indication information may be added to other fields of the data frame, other fields of the data frame may be multiplexed for indication, additional fields may be added to the data frame for indication, or additional signaling may be used for indication, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] It should also be understood that if the STA or PCO determines a carrier mask table based on the channel quality parameters of each subcarrier, the STA or PCO can send the multiple carrier mask tables determined to the CCO, and the CCO will notify other nodes (such as other STAs and PCOs).

[0120] The communication method provided by the present application is to dynamically divide the entire frequency band into multiple sub-bands in a PLC communication system, and use a measurement frame to estimate the channel quality of each sub-band to obtain the actual channel condition of each sub-band. According to the actual channel condition of each sub-band, a sub-band with better quality is selected to send data. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission. In addition, a carrier shielding table can be determined according to the actual channel condition of each subcarrier. The carrier shielding table can accurately reflect the fading or interference of the channel, and the shielding condition of the subcarriers in the carrier shielding table is relatively accurate. The carrier shielding table is used in the process of sending and receiving data, and data is not sent and received on certain subcarriers with poor channel quality. The power is concentrated on the effective subcarriers (i.e., unshielded subcarriers) to send and receive data, thereby improving communication performance.

[0121] It should be understood that the above is only intended to help those skilled in the art better understand the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the above examples given, those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes. For example, some steps in the above method embodiments may not be necessary, or some new steps may be added. Or a combination of any two or any multiple embodiments described above. Such modifications, changes, or combined solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0122] It should also be understood that the division of the modes, situations, categories and embodiments in the embodiments of the present application is only for the convenience of description and should not constitute a special limitation. The features of various modes, categories, situations and embodiments can be combined without contradiction.

[0123] It should also be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of this application are only for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0124] It should also be understood that the above description of the embodiments of the present application focuses on emphasizing the differences between the various embodiments. The same or similar points that are not mentioned can be referenced with each other. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0125] The communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The communication device of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0126] In this embodiment, the transmitting and receiving devices (e.g., CCO, PCO, or STA) can be divided into functional modules according to the above method. For example, the modules can be divided into functional modules corresponding to different functions, or two or more functions can be integrated into a single processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware. It should be noted that the module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0127] It should be noted that the relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0128] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to execute any of the communication methods provided in the above method embodiments, and thus can achieve the same effect as the above implementation method. In the case of an integrated unit, the sending end device or the receiving end device may include a processing module, as well as an optional storage module and a communication module. Among them, the processing module can be used to control and manage the actions of the sending end device or the receiving end device. For example, it can be used to support the sending end device or the receiving end device to execute the steps performed by the processing unit. The storage module can be used to support the storage of program code and data, etc. The communication module can be used to support the communication between the sending end device or the receiving end device and other devices.

[0129] The processing module may be a processor or a controller. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of digital signal processing (DSP) and a microprocessor, and so on. The storage module may be a memory. The communication module may specifically be a device that interacts with other devices, such as a radio frequency circuit, a Bluetooth chip, or a Wi-Fi chip.

[0130] For example, FIG7 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0131] In some embodiments: the communication device 700 may correspond to the transmitting device described in the above method 400, or may be a chip or component applied to the transmitting device, and each module or unit in the communication device 700 is used to execute each action or processing process performed by the transmitting device (e.g., CCC) in the above method 400.

[0132] For example, the transmitting end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA.

[0133] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a processing module 710 and an interface module 720. The interface module 720 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the drive of the processing module 710. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the processing module may also be referred to as a processing unit, and the interface module may also be referred to as an interface unit.

[0134] The interface module 720 is configured to send a measurement frame to a PCO, STA, or CCO, where the measurement frame is configured to measure channel qualities corresponding to a plurality of sub-bands included in the first frequency band, where each sub-band includes at least one subcarrier.

[0135] The interface module 720 is further configured to: receive channel qualities corresponding to multiple sub-bands from a PCO, a STA, or a CCO;

[0136] The interface module 720 is further configured to send a data frame to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one sub-band among the multiple sub-bands, where the channel quality corresponding to the at least one sub-band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0137] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application uses a measurement frame to perform channel quality estimation on each sub-band in a PLC communication system to obtain the actual channel condition of each sub-band. According to the actual channel condition of each sub-band, a sub-band with better quality is selected to send data, which can avoid frequency bands with large interference or fading. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission, thereby ensuring PLC communication performance.

[0138] In some possible implementations, the processing module 710 is used to: determine a first carrier shielding table based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, the first carrier shielding table being used to indicate: unshielded subcarriers and shielded subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band; the interface module 720 is also used to: send data frames to the PCO, the STA or the CCO on the unshielded subcarriers included in at least one sub-frequency band according to the first carrier shielding table.

[0139] In some possible implementations, the data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, and the frame control field is used to indicate whether a carrier mask table is used and an identifier of the carrier mask table used.

[0140] In some possible implementations, the measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control field, a training field, and a payload field, wherein the training field is used to carry a measurement signal, and the payload field is used to carry a sequence. The frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field are both the first frequency band.

[0141] In some possible implementations, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame, and the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the load field in the measurement frame are different.

[0142] In some possible implementations, the data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame is the same, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame is the same, and the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field included in the measurement frame is the same as the preamble field and the frame control field included in the data frame.

[0143] In some possible implementations, when the communication device is a CCO, or the CCO includes the communication device, the interface module 720 is also used to: broadcast multiple carrier shielding tables, different carrier shielding tables correspond to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods, different carrier shielding tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier shielding tables include the first carrier shielding table.

[0144] In other embodiments: the communication device 700 may correspond to the receiving device described in the above method 400, or may be a chip or component applied to the receiving device, and each module or unit in the communication device 700 is used to execute each action or processing process performed by the receiving device (e.g., STA) in the above method 400.

[0145] For example, the receiving end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA.

[0146] The interface module 720 is used to: receive a measurement frame from a PCO, STA or CCO;

[0147] The processing module 710 is configured to: determine, according to the measurement frame, channel qualities corresponding to a plurality of sub-frequency bands included in the first frequency band, each sub-frequency band including at least one subcarrier;

[0148] The interface module 720 is further configured to: send the channel qualities corresponding to the multiple sub-bands to the PCO, the STA, or the CCO;

[0149] The interface module 720 is further configured to receive a data frame from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on at least one sub-band among the multiple sub-bands, wherein the channel quality corresponding to the at least one sub-band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0150] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application uses a measurement frame to perform channel quality estimation on each sub-band in a PLC communication system to obtain the actual channel condition of each sub-band and feed it back to the transmitting device. Data is received in a sub-band with better quality, and frequency bands with greater interference or fading can be avoided. The frequency band selection is flexible, which improves the efficiency of PLC data transmission, thereby ensuring PLC communication performance.

[0151] In some possible implementations, the interface module 720 is further used to: receive data frames from the PCO, the STA, or the CCO on unshielded subcarriers included in at least one sub-frequency band according to a first carrier shielding table, wherein the first carrier shielding table is determined based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, and the first carrier shielding table is used to indicate: unshielded subcarriers and shielded subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band.

[0152] In some possible implementations, the data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, and the frame control field is used to indicate whether a carrier masking table is used and the identifier of the carrier masking table used; the processing module 710 is also used to: determine the first carrier masking table based on the frame control field in the data frame.

[0153] In some possible implementations, the measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control field, a training field, and a payload field, wherein the training field is used to carry a measurement signal, and the payload field is used to carry a sequence. The frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the payload field are both the first frequency band.

[0154] In some possible implementations, the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are different from the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the load field in the measurement frame.

[0155] In some possible implementations, the data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame is the same, the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame is the same, and the frequency band corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field included in the measurement frame is the same as the preamble field and the frame control field included in the data frame.

[0156] In some possible implementations, the interface module 720 is also used to: receive multiple carrier shielding tables from the CCO, different carrier shielding tables correspond to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods, different carrier shielding tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier shielding tables include the first carrier shielding table.

[0157] Furthermore, the communication device 700 may also include a storage module (storage unit). The interface module 720 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit is used to store instructions executed by the interface module 720 and the processing module 710. The interface module 720, the processing module 710, and the storage unit are coupled to each other. The storage unit stores instructions, and the processing module 710 is used to execute the instructions stored in the storage unit. The interface module 720 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the drive of the processing module 710.

[0158] It should be understood that the interface module 720 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit may be a memory. The processing module 710 may be implemented by a processor. As shown in FIG8 , the communication device 800 may include a processor 810, a memory 820, and a transceiver 830.

[0159] The communication device 700 shown in FIG7 or the communication device 800 shown in FIG8 can implement the steps performed by the transmitting end device or the receiving end device in the embodiment of the aforementioned method 400. Similar descriptions can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding methods described above. To avoid repetition, they are not repeated here.

[0160] It should also be understood that the communication device 700 shown in Figure 7 or the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8 can be a transmitting device or a receiving device, or the transmitting device or the receiving device can include: the communication device 700 shown in Figure 7 or the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8.

[0161] For example, the transmitting end device may be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA, and the receiving end device may also be a CCO, a PCO, or a STA.

[0162] It should also be understood that the transmitting device or receiving device in the present application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the transmitting device or receiving device to implement the method, or it may be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the transmitting device or receiving device.

[0163] It should also be understood that the division of units (modules) in the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also all be implemented in the form of hardware; some units can also be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated into a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, called by a certain processing element of the device and execute the function of the unit. Here, the processing element can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through the processing element.

[0164] In one example, the units (modules) in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more DSPs, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the units in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0165] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0166] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0167] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes: the above-mentioned sending end device and receiving end device.

[0168] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, power line, etc.) mode.

[0169] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium for storing computer program code, wherein the computer program includes instructions for executing any one of the communication methods provided in the above embodiments of the present application. The computer-readable medium may be the memory in the above examples, and the present application does not limit this.

[0170] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes instructions. When the instructions are executed, the sending device performs the operation corresponding to the sending device in the above method, or the receiving device performs the operation corresponding to the receiving device in the above method.

[0171] The present application also provides a chip, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin, or an interface circuit. The processing unit may execute computer instructions to cause the chip within the communication device to perform any of the communication methods provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0172] Optionally, any one of the communication devices provided in the above embodiments of the present application may include this chip.

[0173] Optionally, the computer instructions are stored in a storage unit.

[0174] Optionally, the storage unit is a storage unit within the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip within the communication device, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, RAM, etc. The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the above-mentioned RRC signaling transmission method. The processing unit and the storage unit may be decoupled and respectively provided on different physical devices, and connected by wired or wireless means to implement the respective functions of the processing unit and the storage unit, so as to support the chip to implement the various functions in the above-mentioned embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit and the memory may also be coupled on the same device.

[0175] Various objects such as various messages / information / equipment / systems / devices / actions / operations / processes that may appear in this application are named. It is understandable that these specific names do not constitute a limitation on the relevant objects. The names assigned may change with factors such as the scene, context or usage habits. The understanding of the technical meaning of the technical terms in this application should be mainly determined from the functions and technical effects embodied / executed in the technical solution.

[0176] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0177] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the unit is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0178] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0179] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0180] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending a measurement frame to a proxy coordinator PCO, a station STA or a central coordinator CCO, where the measurement frame is used to measure channel qualities respectively corresponding to a plurality of sub-frequency bands included in the first frequency band, each sub-frequency band including at least one subcarrier; Receiving channel qualities respectively corresponding to the multiple sub-frequency bands from the PCO, the STA or the CCO; A data frame is sent to the PCO, the STA or the CCO on at least one sub-frequency band among the multiple sub-frequency bands, and a channel quality corresponding to each of the at least one sub-frequency band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine a first carrier masking table according to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, wherein the first carrier masking table is used to indicate: unmasked subcarriers and masked subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band; The sending a data frame to the PCO, the STA or the CCO on at least one sub-frequency band among the multiple sub-frequency bands includes: According to the first carrier masking table, a data frame is sent to the PCO, the STA or the CCO on an unmasked subcarrier included in the at least one sub-frequency band.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, and the frame control field is used to indicate whether a carrier mask table is used and the identifier of the carrier mask table used.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control field, a training field and a load field, the training field is used to carry a measurement signal, the load field is used to carry a sequence, the training field and the load field correspond to the same frequency band, and the training field and the load field correspond to the first frequency band.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are different from the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the load field in the measurement frame.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame correspond to the same frequency band, the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band, and the preamble field and the frame control field included in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band as the preamble field and the frame control field included in the data frame.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The CCO broadcasts multiple carrier shielding tables, different carrier shielding tables correspond to the channel quality of each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods, different carrier shielding tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier shielding tables include the first carrier shielding table.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive measurement frames from the proxy coordinator PCO, the station STA or the central coordinator CCO; Determine, according to the measurement frame, channel qualities respectively corresponding to a plurality of sub-frequency bands included in the first frequency band, each sub-frequency band including at least one subcarrier; Sending the channel qualities respectively corresponding to the multiple sub-frequency bands to the PCO, the STA or the CCO; A data frame from the PCO, the STA or the CCO is received on at least one sub-frequency band among the multiple sub-frequency bands, and a channel quality corresponding to each of the at least one sub-frequency band is greater than or equal to a threshold.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The receiving a data frame from the PCO, the STA or the CCO on at least one sub-band among the multiple sub-bands includes: According to a first carrier shielding table, a data frame from the PCO, the STA or the CCO is received on an unshielded subcarrier included in the at least one sub-frequency band, wherein the first carrier shielding table is determined based on the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band, and the first carrier shielding table is used to indicate: unshielded subcarriers and shielded subcarriers among the subcarriers included in the first frequency band.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, wherein the frame control field is used to indicate whether a carrier mask table is used and an identifier of the carrier mask table used; The method further comprises: The first carrier masking table is determined according to a frame control field in the data frame.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The measurement frame includes: a preamble field, a frame control field, a training field and a load field, the training field is used to carry a measurement signal, the load field is used to carry a sequence, the training field and the load field correspond to the same frequency band, and the training field and the load field correspond to the first frequency band.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are the same, and the frequency bands corresponding to the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame are different from the frequency bands corresponding to the training field and the load field in the measurement frame.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The data frame includes a preamble field and a frame control field, the preamble field and the frame control field in the data frame correspond to the same frequency band, the preamble field and the frame control field in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band, and the preamble field and the frame control field included in the measurement frame correspond to the same frequency band as the preamble field and the frame control field included in the data frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive multiple carrier shielding tables from the CCO, different carrier shielding tables correspond to the channel quality corresponding to each subcarrier included in the first frequency band in different time periods, different carrier shielding tables correspond to different identifiers, and the multiple carrier shielding tables include the first carrier shielding table.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A unit for executing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or a unit for executing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the at least one processor is used to execute: the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes: the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes: the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

19. A chip, characterized in that: It comprises: a processor, used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip executes: a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, or a method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14.

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